1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a stringless fret instrument to be played on a twitch instrument, e.g. a stringless guitar, banjo etc., which consists of a neck on which there are frets situated transverse to the lengthwise axis of the neck having between them digital tone push-buttons in rows parallel with the neck axis, and a body, a loudspeaker and a direct current charger.
2. Description of the Related Art
Stringless instruments for at least partial music production as on twitch instruments are well known. The use of a number of them however requires a special technique of playing which entirely differs from the technique of playing on common string instruments. The electrical stringless guitar described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,095,799 is constructed with a view of a minimal standard of ability to create a musical tone. The neck has eight band push-buttons for pre-programming musical bands, and on the body there are eight melody push-buttons, two time push-buttons and a speed control push-button, chord push-button, a height push-button, and a volume (loudness) push-button, etc.
The electronic guitar according to U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,668, which also enables easy play, is allied to the common guitar and serves as an instrument for teaching how to play on this guitar. It generates a musical signal for the player's play and consists of a neck and a body on which there are several manually used strings. The musical signal includes a component corresponding to the sound of one or more strings and of one or more manually used pieces of equipment located along the neck.
Some types of stringless fret instruments, e.g. a guitar described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,555,166 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,398,585 and a solution according to FR 2 557 721 and DE 35 19 047, permit, at least partly, abilities necessary to play a common string instrument.
The electronic musical instrument with a double manual described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,555,166 is equipped with managing push-buttons in vents created on the neck, while a length of each push-button corresponds to the length of a part of string between individual frets on a common string instrument. Each push-button is a part of a switch contact which is activated when a push-button is pressed. In regard to the type described as a guitar, there are 20 push-buttons in each of the six rows of push-buttons. There is a coupled manual situated on the musical instrument body with push-buttons situated on the neck. This coupled manual manages switches from two or more rows on the neck. Each of the tone generators situated on the musical instrument body is coupled to the tone formation when pertinent push-buttons on the neck and on the coupled manual are connected. This allows one to play various chords resembling the fingering on several strings. Before some of the push-buttons on the neck can played a chosen chord and the pertinent push-button of a coupled manual must be pressed.
In regard to the solution described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,398,585 the guitar neck is equipped with six rows of twenty individual push-buttons placed in a way which corresponds to the tuning fret/string on a common guitar. On the body of the guitar there are sixteen push-buttons for a number of functions, e.g. for tuning as on a common guitar, a bass guitar, a violin, for lowering the fifth interspace, for increasing the fifth interspace, etc. In the mid of the guitar body, there are six blocks for synthesizing a sound of the drum, as a pitch bend, for modulation, for stereo-audition, etc., and further on the body, there are six lengthwise switch contacts used for laying up individual push-buttons on the neck and for a synthesized sound of the drum.
DE 35 19 047 concerns a double-manual electronic guitar with an electronic neck which allows not only characteristic guitar chords but also, with the aid of specialized keys which are situated under the strings, that when a string is pressed, these keys are mastered in the same time, while a contact is switched inside the neck.